Exactly. That's why I say 5.5 addressed almost none of the problems of 5th edition. I think many problems come from the fact that they wanted each class to play only 1-2 roles (which is DIFFERENT from classes having discrete roles). Yes, it came with some fixes, like Witch Bolt (although the...
Those feats were overpowered because of petty ACs. I have upped many ACs of monsters and the problem got solved. They are still strong but not broken. Hit point inflation is the easiest and the cheapest/stupidest way of 'correcting' things. It is the solution a 10-year old would give.
I can't disagree with that. Certainly, inexperienced DMs need some help in monster creation and if you want my opinion they may better be using entries from the MM until they get it. Takes some time, different for each person.
Of course you can, it just isn't my way. I prefer much more free style and I have the experience to know how tough something is without the need of formulas. Even the CRs of the monstrous manual falter way too often.
I don't use math ever, I have a pretty good understanding on how to make a monster without needing to stick to formulas. 5e generally lacks variation and the reason for this are these formulas, now that I think about it.
Flavor should be the driving factor, not just a late addition. If a...
Since you mentioned will o' wisp, one of my favorite monsters although not for spamming. It is always a special encounter. This monster had the unique quality of having an exceptional AC without being something as impressive as a dragon or a tanar'ri (demon) and was immune to almost all magic...
I second that. 5.5e has the tendency to return to old, failed aspects of 4th edition - hit point inflation, hit point inflation, hit point inflation - to mention the worst one. I really don't get it, do they enjoy the failure of 4th edition? 5.5e doesn't address most of the problems of 5e and in...
Looks like it. In my opinion a design mistake, taking away variance to just let whinners hit often. This is a recuring problem in 5e.
I have homebrewed away from that by making some enemies to have higher ACs. Well, obviously not goblins or oozes. More diversity and variance = more synergy and...
That was the intention of 5e in the first place and it holds true in 5.5 too ( I am refering to your last phrase). In my opinion, limiting viable strategies is a bad thing that reduces diversity and customization. More options should be optimal, just like in older editions.
5e and it's sibling...
I love this way of building adventures and campaigns, it makes them much more alive. If you fight through half the fort, the other half will not wait for you to take a nap. These are cases where realism actually adds flavor and fun instead of reducing it.
They do take longer indeed and this was a plus in my games. Longer combats, more tactics (if you have players that like such things). When I say longer I mean more rounds but they do not take really long in time because I run combats very fast. Each participant has 10 seconds to decide his...